Devotion for Monday, September 5th, 2011
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. James 1:13
We learn a really important truth about God in this verse today. It speaks to God’s sovereignty (God’s being in control). God does not cause difficult things to go on in our lives, but He does allow difficult circumstances to come. The Bible says that God is not tempted with evil. God is so fully perfect that He has no capacity for evil. He can’t do anything wrong. It is His nature to do rightly (the Bible term is righteously.) Righteousness, or rightness, really does flow from who God is. Something is right or righteous because it is what God would do.
Here is something you can take comfort in today. Your difficult circumstance, problem, trial, or temptation did not find its source in God. Yet, at the same time, nothing can happen to you that God does not already know about and allow. According to Romans 8:28-29, God allows these things to work for the good of His kids to make them more and more like His Son Jesus Christ.
Application:
What are you going through right now? Are you asking God to learn and grow from it? Take a few moments to talk to God about it today. For further study-Take a few moments to read Romans 8.
Study the Scriptures with Ben Jennings 
Today I am going thru some challenging trials. I have classes w/ people tht r mean to me and ignore me. I have my great grandmother in the hospital. And sometimes I’m like y does God want this to happen to me? What did I do? But now I realize tht God puts these trails in my life to test my faith. He wants to c if I will ask him for wisdom or just say give me wisdom I need it! I believe he wants us to ask for wisdom in prayer. Prayer is very important. I mean if u didn’t pray to God and talk to him, u wouldn’t have a very good relationship w/ him. So what I’m saying is God puts trials in ur life, just to test u! 😀
I like your post so much Tristian because it is so cool to see how God’s Word is effecting the way you are viewing what is going on right now in your life.
I’ll be praying for your grandma and for what is going on at school!
Thanks Pastor Ben! 🙂
I’m going thru alot of things I have my science fair project and people arent that mean as they used to be last year and sixth grade. I am asking god to help me grow in it yes hehe! 🙂
great Mafalda! What is your science fair project about?
about personal space like how far do you have to be to have a conversation with someone.
I do have trials in my life! And there is only one question going through your mind! WHY IS GOD DOING THIS TO ME!!!?!! Is it something I did?
No, he’s puts you through these things because he wants to test your faith! And you have to trust hi about the situation that your going through.!
Like tristian said if you don’t talk to God about it than things won’t get better or your relationship with God won’t be the best. So prayer is very important! 😀
Another thing to remember too is that Jesus wasn’t immune to going through trials. He has been there too. Good stuff Mack Train!
Im going through a difficult trial right now.My grandfather is in the hospital right now,he had a 6 cm.kidney stone.Whenever im going through trials,I think 2 myself God,why did i do? Why did this happen?but i realize he wants 2 test our faith.like mackenzie and tristan said,if u don’t talk to God about it,things won’t be better and your realationship with God won’t be the best.prayer is VERY,VERY important!! So,whenever your going through a difficult trial,remember,God is trying to test your faith!!:D
ALL OF YOU GIRLS ROCK!!!! You guys really paid attention yesterday morning and I’m really proud of you! Keep it up! 🙂
I have prayed and will continue to pray for your grandfather! Good stuff Allison!
The trials I’m being encountered with right now, is dealing with my peers from school and school work. I know that I need to act like Christ to everyone I encounter, whether I like them or not. Jesus was kind to everyone and He was persecuted.. I know that by going through these trials I can learn to be more like Christ and to not let procatination get the best of me. (As we learned not too long ago) I am asking God to help me grow from this and to also learn to be more like Christ! Romans 8 is amazing! Verse 9 says, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. No w if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” I love this verse because we need to let the Spirit of God dwell in us! I’m seeing some “Our God” action in verse 31, ” What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” That is so true! If we have God for us and with us, then who could stop us? 🙂 Verse 38-39 is so powerful! It says that death, life, angels, prinicpalities, powers, present, or things to come, height, depth, or any other creature, CANNOT seperate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Isn’t that comforting? NOTHING can seperat us from God’s love!!!! Our God is awesome in power our God… Our God! 🙂
Someimes God puts us through stuff and we ask him “Why Me What did I do?????” but he put us through this cause something good is going to come out of it and it will help us through life if it ever happens agin. 🙂
The most difficult thing I’m going through right now is probably just school work, and I’m very happy that is all! I have a feeling it won’t last for long though.. Like everyone else has said, most of the time we ask ourselves “Why?!” Why did God put me through this, why is this happening to me, why!?! But a good question to ask is “Why not?!” God has a good reason for everything you are going through! To learn something, or to later help someone else going through the same thing. I’ve learned a lot from the hard times I’ve been through, and I don’t want it to stop! Like we learned yesterday in Sunday School, I want to be able to have joy through difficult circumstances! 🙂 Romans 8:28 is one of my favorite verses! “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” that means that everything will work out for us if we love God!! It’s a good reminder for me to keep my eyes on God, and listen/have faith when He tells me to do something! 🙂 & I agree with Melanie, that the song “Our God” goes along with some of the verses!
You and Melanie got that song in my head!
Check out this verse too…in the same chapter
Romans 8:18
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Goes along with what you guys are saying 🙂
Okay, cool 🙂 thanks!
The trials I’m going thru in my life right now is of course school, peers, and trying to figure out who God wants me to be! Bad things happen to everyone which kinda makes me feel like I’m not alone. God has a reason for the things we go thru and I’m glad that He has an outcome for each of our lives that is good! 🙂 Jesus went thru the same things we did and if He did it, I know I can too! Prayer helps me get thru the things I’m dealing with, and I know that I can grow from everything. God has a purpose for everything, and it isn’t a bad purpose!! We all have to remember that 🙂
I feel like I am up against “it” a lot lately. Trials from every direction. I don’t really ever blame God though. I will ask WHY!!! but I don’t feel like I have blamed Him for my trials. I haven’t had anything really traumatic happen (thank God) that put me in a situation to want to blame God and ask why me. I can imagine if I lost a close family member or a child that I would probably struggle with that, but I do know that lessons like this from James are a good reminder as to why we shouldn’t blame God for allowing things to happen in our lives. It is impossible for God to cause us harm or hurt, but he allows it because we live in a world where we are given free will and in this world, because of sin, we will have sufferings. We must remember that we only know part of the story, and God knows the whole story. We worry about things in this world because it is all we know. But some day we will not suffer or have pain in our lives when He comes back to bring us to our eternal home. Our lives are but a vapor and I am looking forward to an eternity of only good and holy things in the presence of our Lord.
So many times i think why is God out to get me? but He’s not, He’s testing me. Its not fun going through hard times and trials but its so important because it not only shows God but it really shows you.
Thanks Ryan for the great job you are doing in the youth group. You are a great role model. You are a blessing
What I got out of this is we all may have bad times in our lives but we all blame God. God is not the reason for it i think is comes in our lives to test us.
good job Blake for getting on tonight and doing your devotions. Proud of u! A lot of people blame God for a lot of things and sometimes that is why a lot of people stay away from a relationship with Him. I know this to be the case in John’s family with one of his sisters.
I am so thankful that God does not have the capability of tempting us because He is ONLY all things good. That gives me even more hope and proof that He is who He says He is. 🙂 With that being said He does allow circumstances to come our way in hopes that we are in the place spiritually that we will respond in a way that will bring honor to Him. He wants to get the glory out of everything in our lives and so when we look at the situations and trials we face our thought should be “how can I glorify God through this trial. What can I do to bring honor to His name during these trials”. It’s sometimes easier said than done. Someone to look at is Job. He had trial after trial and still he praised the name of the Lord because He knew that was His ultimate purpose.
It’s not always joyful to go through trials but finding the joy through the trial is what we ought to do. I sometimes struggle with this because I get so caught up with the struggles and I forget that I need to seek God for His plan for me though the circumstance.